Xavier Hufkens presents the first European retrospective of Antiguan artist and polymath Frank Walter (1926–2009).
Francis Archibald Wentworth Walter spent his formative years working in a sugar plantation, at the time a major industry in the Caribbean, before leaving to travel in the 1950s. He lived and worked in England, Scotland, and wider Europe, where he faced persistent discrimination.
Walter returned to Antigua in the 1960s, where he became increasingly reclusive, and prolific in his artistic output—producing thousands of paintings and photographs, as well as texts that reveal his visionary voice.
Though his works received little recognition during his lifetime, Walter has gained increasing posthumous attention, with his work included at the Venice Biennale in 2017 and in 2019.
Many of his works are undated and untitled, and are host to a rich spectrum of real and imagined subjects. Frank Walter's Chessboard chronicles the complex internal landscape of an itinerant artist grappling with visions ahead of his time.
As Stephanie Bailey wrote for Ocula Magazine, Walter's paintings reflect a 'search of worlds capable of accommodating the depth and breadth of far-reaching hopes and visions. He was at once a product of his time and lights years ahead of it; an artist who left universes to explore in his wake'.
Frank Walter's Chessboard is open at Xavier Hufkens' Rivoli gallery from 26 August–22 October 2022.
